Baslinux mailing list

[Sindi Keesan <keesan AT iamjlamb.com>]

> >
> > The DefaultColorDepth line is not there to start with.
> > Apparently you have to type it in yourself.  I checked 
> > both the vga16 configuration file that you set up for us, 
> 
> The default XF86Config for BL2 is a simplified file for
> VGA only.  It is set for 16 colors, which is the best 
> you can do on the xvg16.tgz Xserver.

Well, that file appears to be what xf86config works with, which explains 
why I could not find "DefaultColorDepth" in the file resulting from 
configuring with xf86config.

> 
> > and the one that I made for my accel card (S3).
> 
> DefaultColorDepth is a standard parameter in the Screen
> section of /etc/XF86Config  
> --------------
> man XF86Config
> --------------

> 
> Initially, it took me six hours (!) of trial and error to find 
> a workable setting for my monitor (other than VGA).  However, 
> once I had those settings, it was easy from then on.  Twice I 
> have moved that monitor to a different system (with different 
> video card, requiring a different Xserver).  Each time, it took 
> only a couple of minutes to get hi-res X running (because I had 
> the right monitor settings from the start).

There are warnings that you will destroy your monitor if you pick the 
wrong horizontal setting so I kept it low.  

> 
> > What horiz and vert settings are working with your S3 Trio64V+ 
> > cards?    
> 
> The horiz/vert settings have nothing to do with the video card.  
> They are specific to the monitor being used and remain the same, 
> even when you change video cards.
> 
> ---------- /etc/XF86Config ---------------------------------------------
> Section "Monitor"                                                           
>    
>  Identifier      "Primary Monitor"                                          
>  
>  VendorName      "Unknown"                                                  
>  
>  ModelName       "Unknown"                                                  
>  
>  HorizSync       31.5-37.9                                                  
>  
>  VertRefresh     55-90                                                      
>  
>  Modeline "800x600" 40.00 800 840 968 1056 600 601 605 628 +hsync +vsync 
>  Modeline "640x480" 31.50 640 656 720 840 480 481 484 500 -hsync -vsync  
> EndSection                                                                  
>    
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> > The only monitor info I have is for the NCR monitor, 
> 
> If you google around, you will find info on lots of monitors.

I spent about an hour looking all over the place for our two Compaq 
monitors and a couple of others and could not find any of them.  
Can you find Compaq monitor settings?  (One of them appears to be labelled 
on its back side, the other is qvision 172).  I could not find the IBM 
either.



> > I copied over your printer lines exactly and my printer still 
> > won't print graphics.  
> 
> My printer lines were for a specific printer, hooked to a
> specific printer port.  Your situation is probably different.
> It also is necessary to have the correct filter, in the 
> correct place.  Moreover, I am completely unfamiliar with 
> inkjet printers (never had one) and have no idea which filter
> parameters are appropriate for such a printer.  

lp0, deskjet 500 - I thought these matched your settings.
I will try dj500 instead of deskjet, some day.


> I have never claimed to be a printer guru.  I managed to get
> my own printer (epson dot-matrix) working, but that's the 
> extent of my experience. 

I have a Panasonic dot-matrix KXP1124 that I could try with your settings
as it does epson lq1500 emulation.  Do I just change deskjet to epson?
It does not line up the graphical stuff quite right when printing pdf 
files (but it produces much better looking text that does not smudge, and 
we have a $7 reinking kit that should last a lifetime).  
 
> > Other than give up, what should I do next?  Try a Panasonic 
> > ribbon printer?
> 
> Do you have an 24pin Epson-compatible dot-matrix?  If so, 
> I could send you my exact setup.

Please do.


X in More Colors with xxfb.tgz:

Another question - I booted with bzimage for bare.i, installed dev.tgz 
(/dev/fb0 appears when I do a find -name fb0), and xxfb.tgz and I changed 
the driver from svga to fbdev.  Instead of a blue screen I get:

"fatal server error:  open_framebuffer:  failed to open /dev/fb0 (no such 
device"

cat /dev/fb0:  No such device


A google search found me lots of other people with the same error message 
when they installed fbdev driver and typed startx, but no answers of much 
use other than someone said we need a device driver for the frame buffer 
and to go to the nvidia site (for an nvidia card).

Do I need a device driver for linux for the SiS video chip?  Isn't fbdev 
the device driver?  Do I need to link something?

I discovered that I can play a music CD in DOS, then reboot to linux and 
the CD keeps playing.  cdplay.exe.  Also just pushing the play button on a 
CD-ROM drive with such a button would probably work.  Neither of these 
approaches ought to require kernel sound support but I cannot check write 
now, with bare.i loaded.